Following South Somerset District Council’s 30-year lease of the former Westlands Sports & Leisure Complex the new venue’s name, logo and first events have now been announced.

After significant consultation the complex is to keep the name Westlands – popular with numerous members of the public who put this forward as their choice. After exploring different options SSDC came back to this due to the overwhelming public desire to retain the name. The new venue’s logo has subsequently been inspired by the former Agusta Westland logo as well as being tailored to complement The Octagon Theatre’s current logo. The Westlands site will comprise of the Westlands Entertainment Venue and Westlands Sports and Fitness Centre.

Councillor Sylvia Seal, Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Culture at South Somerset District Council said, “We are delighted to finally reveal the name and branding such as the logo and website to the public and potential users/visitors of the Westlands Entertainment Venue and Sports and Fitness Centre. Many people across South Somerset and beyond recognise the Westland name, so it was decided to retain what people know and love – Westlands.”

Work on site continues to proceed well, on budget and on schedule for opening the new Sports & Fitness Centre on 3rd January 2017 and the Entertainment Venue in late March 2017. The new Sports & Fitness Centre will offer an extensive programme of classes as well as allowing clubs and groups to return to the site in order to use their facilities.

The refurbished Entertainment Complex will see the main ballroom transformed with a retractable seating bank offering improved viewing alongside flat floor seating and a capacity of 850 for ‘theatre seated’ events. With standing capacity for over 1,000 and banqueting capacity for 350 this flexible space will enable a host of new events. The bar area will be given a new look, opening up spaces to create a more welcoming feel and meeting rooms will have a variety of sizes to suit small business meetings and training days to large scale conferences.

The first events to take place at the Entertainment Complex include screenings from The Royal Opera House of ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ ballet and ‘Madame Butterfly’ opera, and an encore screening of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ starring David Suchet. CBeebies mega-star Justin Fletcher (a.k.a. Mr Tumble) appears in April and German comedian – Henning Wehn, star of ‘QI’, ‘Live At The Apollo’ and ‘Would I Lie To You’, is confirmed for May 2017. More events are due to follow whilst the venue team are busy developing a live music programme which will be announced at a later date. The diary is open for bookings and promoters and agents are being contacted.

Adam Burgan, Arts & Entertainment Manager said: “We are excited to share the first few events for the entertainment venue. The programme is shaping up nicely and we are pleased now the opening dates have firmed up we are actively taking bookings for regular hirers and working with promoters to present a vibrant entertainment programme. There has been a lot of interest in the live music programme and this is something we will be releasing details of closer to the opening. With the launch of the new website it is fantastic to be sharing details of what is to come and feel another step closer to reopening the complex for the town to enjoy.”

Westlands Entertainment Venue is intended to be the new place to meet, grow your business and be entertained with its newly refurbished and developed sporting facilities, events programme, catering and service.

For more information about the Sports & Fitness Centre please contact Tarida Mitcham, LED Area Manager via 01935 845888 or email goldenstones@ledleisure.co.uk. For more information about events taking place at the Entertainment Complex please call The Octagon Theatre Box Office on 01935 422884 or email westlandsyeovil@southsomerset.gov.uk.

The technical department has now reached the summer and wow what a packed season we’ve had. We’ve seen over 60 events come through our scene dock ready to be transformed to fit onto The Octagon stage. Every day has been different for us as we have welcomed ballet, rock ‘n’ roll, multiple comedians, children’s shows, operas, plays, local amateur companies, a psychic and even a male voice choir.

July and August is the time when we have to take all our lights and technical equipment down from the stage and set about the yearly task of cleaning and testing it all – with over 500 items to inspect, clean, repair and have tested this takes the team two weeks to get through. The stage area is cleaned and checked over, stage drapes are sewn and repaired, the stage itself is touched up with paint, and the flying system is tested. Lamps, tape, smoke fluid, and supplies are re ordered ready for the new season ahead (that order includes 200 rolls of tape!).

Then, when we are happy that it all meets the standard, we begin the task of hoisting it all back up into the roof, plugging up, and choosing the colour gels to put into the lights (several hundred to choose from); this takes the team two days. It’s then that the lighting board is turned on (remote operated by an iPad) and we start to go through socket by socket to see if all our hard work is rewarded with everything working and lighting up as it should. The lighting bars are then set to the required height and stage drapes are flown. Next the Genie Lift comes onto the stage… Working at 22ft we focus and point all the stage lights one by one to their required place ready for the next show to take place.

Following this busy maintenance period comes our annual Summer School Projects – easing us gently into the new season. The summer schools offer local children with an interest in theatre the chance to create a show in a week which they then get to perform for friends and family; giving them the opportunity to explore their creative side. We are always excited to see new faces joining these popular projects as well as the children who return year after year – it’s great for us to see how much local talent is constantly improving and developing.

These projects are one of the most enjoyable times of year for the technical team, as we get to be involved in all aspects of the production. The sound, lighting, set and props are all designed and made by us and every year the directors bring us more and more technical productions – in the sound department alone we have to find/create over 50 sound effects!

After the children have learnt lines, practiced choreography and rehearsed direction we run a couple of dress rehearsals with music and all technical aspects so everybody knows what they’re doing and then we’re ready for the show. The auditorium then fills with friends and family, and 45 mins later we’ve had another successful show with over 40 happy children and a lot of proud parents.

Our ‘Dark Season’ is upon us; how dramatic does that sound? This is really a different way of saying that we don’t have shows taking place for a month while all the departments get on with essential maintenance and catch up on work. For me and my team, who look after the front of house side of the venue, it’s a very strange time… a department made solely for customer services without customers. However, this season is just as busy as a full week of shows. The Octagon is now almost a 7-day-week venue, as when there are no shows we still have all sorts of activities on – from 60 children taking part in summer school projects, to the regular dance classes and meetings.

This time of year is perfect for our department not just because of the sunshine (well the 3 days of it) but because we can improve the venue for our patrons. Over the years the summer has been used to add extra toilets add a new bar as well as to give the building that spring clean for the next 120,000 people to visit us. We also look at the products we offer; last week we had the really hard job of meeting with our local drinks supplier to change our wine list. I would recommend the Pinot Grigio Il Caggio Italian White, a delicately refreshing dry white which is lemon yellow in colour with flavours of fresh green apple and citrus balanced well by aromas of stone fruit. Our Catering Team are very busy with full deep cleans of the kitchens and preparing for another busy year, the team do a great job of serving an average of 100 meals in an hour, and right now they are looking at their menus and making sure everything is in place.

We also meet with the Foyer Club stewards over the summer with fire drill preparations and looking at ways to improve our service that our Foyer Club volunteers offer. The Foyer Club is one of the best things about The Octagon; it’s a voluntary group of people that come in to be our ushers, showing you to your seats and selling you your ice cream – without them we would struggle to run this place. I have also heard on the grape vine that they will be opening up their waiting list so that people can apply to become Foyer Club members so if this is something you might be interested in then let do our Box Office know.

Our main job is to prepare for the next 260 shows and make sure each and every person who walks into the building, including performers, has a great time and wants to come back. My favourite part of my job is standing by the exit at the end of the night saying goodbye to people as they let me know how much they enjoyed the show and what a lovely evening they had. That feedback and experience is what the FOH team work so hard for, it’s what keeps us going throughout the busy seasons and ensure that we are always striving to be better.

During the summer The Octagon you could say that things quieten down for the marketing team in some ways… there are certainly fewer companies who are liaising with us during July-August as many companies are aware that people who are off on holiday are not necessarily thinking about autumn yet. However, marketing never really stops and so in a lot of ways we are even busier over the summer months as we use this ‘quieter’ time to get all-important admin bits sorted whilst also beginning preparations for our busiest season leading up to our spectacular Christmas pantomime, ‘Peter Pan’!

This week our focus has been the Yeovil Literary Festival brochure which is released in early September. After compiling all the materials needed for the brochure we’ve liaised with our designers and now have the tricky task of being sent copy after copy of the brochure for us to proof with a fine-toothed-comb until it’s error-free (or as close to that as possible!). There are always new events being confirmed while we are still proofing – some big names are worth adjusting our schedule for – and so there are always challenges with any brochure, especially one with such a diverse programme.

Alongside the Yeovil Literary Festival brochure, summer also brings with it the knowledge that our Pantomime Media Launch is getting ever-closer, with this often taking place in the first few days of September. As such, now is the time for us to prepare all the necessary things we will need for the day: writing scripts for trailers and other filming, sending invitations to local press, arranging the use of a promotional vehicle for the launch and the rest of the season, proofing artwork for said vehicle, and so on. Summer is also the time where we start to step-up our pantomime marketing plans and so we are currently busy filling out entry forms that allow us take part in local carnivals over the autumn. During this time we receive all our posters and flyers for the show which we use both in the theatre and for wider distribution, and we start to design and book advertising so that it’s in place before the busy autumn season.

We are also working on our September mailer which will be sent out to 200,000 households within a 45 minute radius of the theatre to provide information about our new season, the Yeovil Literary Festival and developments taking place at the former Westlands Sports and Leisure Complex; and in the coming weeks we will start to compile the copy and images needed for our November brochure – every brochure takes around two months from start to finish.

All of this takes place whilst we work on our general marketing duties too. Lots of companies like to take the summer to see where they are up to marketing-wise and so we are often writing up and amending marketing schedules so that they can decide what further action they’d like to take as we move into autumn. Other jobs will include sending out various ‘season highlight’ eflyers to highlight the shows that will be of particular interest to our patrons based on their booking history and the updating of all our foyer display screens with new exciting things for the autumn season.

Thank you to all who followed and supported this exciting pilot project, we have received a fantastic response to Strike a Chord! and already we are planning what to do next!

The closing concerts really were spectacular, it was wonderful to welcome so many to the final evening programme, a very special atmosphere with a stunning performance from the Philharmonia and a very personal musical journey with Charles Hazlewood.

Take a look at the film of our work with the schools, we hope this gives you a taste of what we have been doing over recent months…

Following the recent agreement between South Somerset District Council and Leonardo Finmeccanica, the former Westland Sports & Leisure Complex will now be managed by SSDC after a 30-year lease was signed. This is very exciting news for us here at The Octagon Theatre as the venue will be run as a ‘sister venue’ to theatre. As a team, we have been asked to take on the role of managing and developing the newly refurbished venue when the entertainment facility opens.

The petition to save Westlands was signed by over 8,000 people, officially the largest petition ever submitted to SSDC, and it is fantastic to see the public support to make the facility a vibrant new entertainment and sporting centre for the region. A £2 million refurbishment is taking place to improve the facilities for guests and artists.

Work started on site on 27th June and the artist’s impressions of the refurbished building promise a fresh, exciting new feel to the building. The refurbished sports facilities are anticipated to open in January 2017 with the main complex opening in late-February / early March 2017. This refurbishment aims to transform the complex into a premier entertainment and sporting facility for South Somerset and beyond.

Artist Impression of the Foyer

Another intriguing aspect to the re-development of the complex is the renaming process. A competition took place through the Western Gazette to ask the general public for name suggestions which have now been shortlisted with a final name to be announced soon! The rebranding will welcome a new era for the facility, securing it as a facility that belongs to all the residents of South Somerset – an era that we cannot wait to be a part of.

Perhaps what we are most looking forward to with SSDC’s taking over of the venue is the chance to develop a sister venue to the already flourishing Octagon Theatre. The prospect of a new venue which can offer a whole new range of live entertainment to compliment The Octagon’s current programme is an exciting one for our team currently working at The Octagon. We are very much looking forward to the new challenges and experiences that come with building a significant entertainment and conference venue within an already bustling town. The new venue will also have a strengthening impact on The Octagon as two combined venues will provide many more opportunities for the promoters, suppliers and businesses we are already working with.

Artist Impression of the Ballroom with retractable seating in place

The new venue will offer a seated capacity of just under 900, with the installation of a stylish retractable seating bank, or the option of 1,400 standing in the main ballroom. The ballroom will also have state of the art lighting and sound equipment for live music and comedy. This will offer an entirely new performance and conference experience as The Octagon Theatre’s current capacity is 622. The retractable seating will also allow for other events including balls, exhibitions and trade fairs which Yeovil does not currently have a large-scale, purpose-built venue for. The superb ballroom dance floor will be preserved and we hope to attract more dance events and competitions.

Artist impression of the Ballroom set up in cabaret style

As well as the stunning ballroom the complex will also boast function rooms with the flexibility to suit all occasions. The work of the architects and the project team have ensured that the venue’s potential has been fully explored and so the newly refurbished building will cement Yeovil’s reputation as ‘the destination’ for entertainment and leisure for local businesses, residents and visitors from South Somerset and beyond.

Artist impression of the function rooms

We hope that this sister venue will be yet another inspiring place that will be a source of joy and entertainment for generations. We very much look forward to sharing more development news with you as the refurbishment and rebranding takes place. Thank you to all those who have offered their unwavering support for this exciting new venture for Yeovil.

Last year a team of us from here at The Octagon were lucky enough to attend the Hay Festival as research for our very own Yeovil Literary Festival. Whilst there myself and my manager were lucky enough to see a fantastic Shakespeare event which I am now delighted to say we are welcoming to the Yeovil Literary Festival this year – the event is so fantastic that it deserves its own blog entry so here goes…

DEAR READER: Even if you’re not a fan of Shakespeare, please keep reading as the event I talk about in this blog post could really be of interest to you.

Before heading to Hay we had all picked what events we wanted to catch and, given my continued study of Shakespeare all through my university degree, I was keen to see celebrated linguist David Crystal in a talk with his son, the renowned classical actor Ben Crystal, as they discussed their latest book, ‘The Shakespeare Dictionary’. I was interested in it mostly because how on earth would you even start to compile such a thing as a dictionary for someone who we can thank for over 1,700 of our commonly used words?

Ben & David Crystal

Well it’s safe to say that the talk was 100% worth it! Shakespeare’s language is notorious for making many people recoil or wince at the thought, even evading the brightest of academics at times, but Ben and David have managed to create a book, and in turn a talk, that guides you through some of the best of Shakespeare’s language without you even flinching. Going from A to Z in their dictionary, a test in memory for the pair, this talk promises to inspire both old and new visitors to Shakespeare in a wonderfully funny and dynamic way. The pair’s up beat and energetic rapport, perhaps coming from their familial bond, makes for a lively talk that carries that audience’s attention with them throughout. Those of you who saw David at last year’s festival would know what a great talk he gives and I promise this event is as good as, if not better, than last year.

After seeing the talk and leaving on an amazing high (cheeks sore from so much laughing and smiling) I wished that my friends who have pretty much ruled Shakespeare out had seen it with me. Ben and David’s enthusiasm and passion for their subject is truly infectious and so even if the talk doesn’t change your mind about the Bard it may just mean that you can experience some of his language without that familiar pang of boredom – can you tell that I’m keen for everyone to experience the same excitement I have for Shakespeare?

Moving on…

If you enjoyed the BBC’s recent ‘Upstart Crow’ series starring ‘Peep Show’ legend David Mitchell as Shakespeare himself (if you haven’t seen it head to BBC iPlayer, the last episode is still available) then you’ll also want to catch John Crace and John Sutherland when they come to the Yeovil Literary Festival. They’ll be presenting their work, ‘Incomplete Shakespeare’, which comprises short parodies of some of the Bard’s most famous plays. I love to see how Shakespeare is developed for modern audiences and Crace and Sutherland promise just that by concentrating these plays into just a few thousand words. John Crace is best known as the Guardian’s Parliamentary sketch writer and John Sutherland is an academic, newspaper columnist and author – you couldn’t have two better people developing these fantastic re-tellings.

It seems fitting that in the year marking the 400th Anniversary of the great Bard’s death we have what I firmly consider to be two of the best Shakespeare events coming to Yeovil so I really do hope that you can come along and check them out. If you love Shakespeare like I do then ‘The Shakespeare Dictionary’ is a must-see but I would also encourage anyone who struggles with Shakespeare – whether because of the language or because you really don’t see what all the fuss is about – to come and see the talk too. It will open new doors for you whether you’re the Bard’s number one fan or you really couldn’t care less about him and his weird writing style!

Ben and David will be in The Octagon Auditorium as part of the Yeovil Literary Festival on Saturday 22 October at 6pm and John Crace and John Sutherland will be at The Manor Hotel on Sunday 23 October at 2pm. Tickets are available now via: www.yeovilliteraryfestival.co.uk or from The Octagon Theatre Box Office (01935 422884). I look forward to seeing you there.